A Failed Alternate Universe
by CrytalineWolf
Summary: It's only been a few months since the most awesome, in your opinion, indie game has came out. Already, Undertale has different AUs and you have created one yourself- Piratetale. It's small so far and nobody knows it yet because it's still in development, but something keeps telling you that you're doing a good job and that you should keep going.
1. Chapter 1

"OH, EM, GEE! This is the perfect idea!" I scream at myself as I look at my pictures of Sans in a pirate outfit. "I am so glad I thought this up!" I smile as I hug my computer. I never thought the day that I finally make my own Undertale AU would come!  
"Hm, I wonder what I should call it," I think aloud with a dumb smile on my face.  
"...Piratetale.."  
"Wait, who said that?" I yelled as I looked around my room, but nobody else was in here.  
"That was.. extremely weird. Okay. But- yeah! Piratetale is the name!" I open up my window and screech a "Yahoo!" like usual. The neighbors and the pedestrians look at me like I'm a deranged idiot. Hey, you don't know me! I close the window and continue my day like usual.

"heh heh, look at that idiot. already made an au that she knows is going to crash," says a skeleton whose bones are red and black.  
"Are you giving me a challenge, Error?" says another skeleton whose head is spattered with paint.  
"are you up for it, ink?" Error asks.  
"Yeah. Let the best one win," Ink replies.

"Lets see.." I mumble as I look around the nearest technology store- Wally's Manhattan. "Ah, here it is. I've been meaning to get actual animating software for a while." I start daydreaming as I look at the small box with the words "EMPORIUM CREATIONS" on the top. There's only a disc and a manual inside though.  
"Oh, Sa~ans.."  
I snap out of my daydream just as people begin to notice and wipe away the drool that had started coming out of my mouth. Maybe I should stop doing that in public.  
I plop down into my desk chair and turn on my laptop, excited to install this program into my computer.  
"Now, let's see. I need to install this disk first.. then put in this disk next.. then that one... then this one..."  
 _Thud._

The girl has already fallen asleep? I'm sure we've chosen what is probably the weirdest girl to ever live. I squat down on her desk, putting my elbows on my knees. I look at her for a moment. She has a thing for drooling. I poke her cheek and she mumbles.  
"Ah~ Sans.."  
What is with this girl? She's infatuated with a video game character! Although, granted, I'm a version of him myself-! Wait, is she crying now? Please don't tell me..  
I sigh. Whatever. I need to wake her up. I continue to poke her cheek until she opens her eyes. I almost get lost in their beautiful color.  
"Pizza man..?" she yawns. "I thought you left me for your fish woman..."  
What is up with this girl? She looks up at me with her lazy eyes. Wow, I wish I can just take that color for myself..  
Wait, I'm getting off track again.  
"Oh, hello Sans," she yawns again. "What are you doing here?"  
She's not even freaking out? That's kind of weird.  
"You aren't afraid?" I ask, curious.  
"Of course not.. It's only a dream, right..?" She continues to yawn as she speaks. It _is_ in the middle of the night.  
"Yeah, yeah. It's definitely a dream," I say sarcastically. She doesn't seem to catch on.  
"I see.. Then Why don't I dream within a dream some more?" She lays her head back down. I poke her head softly again and she lifts it to face me, looking slightly annoyed.  
"Look, buddy, I'm trying to..." she begins, trailing off at the end. And then, after a moment of silence, she finally catches on.  
"I'm not dreaming, am I?"  
"Yep," I say.  
"Oh, god... Uh, um..! It's nice to meet you, Sans! I never new you were real- I mean of course you were, you were made by Toby himself! ... Right?"  
"I am Ink Sans, but just call me Ink. I was made by a human somewhere on Earth, and I am in charge of people creating AUs," I explain, getting a little excited.  
"So _that's_ why you look so different!" The girl laughs.  
"If you would like, I can take you into your own AU and see how things are going."  
"That would be AWESOME!" she squealed. I'm starting to like this girl.  
I get off the desk and take some paint off of my belt. I pour some onto the floor and use my brush to make a portal out of the paint.  
"Wow," she gasps.  
I hold out my hand towards her, which she doesn't hesitate to take, and we jump into the portal.

"Oh.. My god," I say as I open my eyes to the sight of my AU. MY AU! Piratetale! There are boats flying all around the sky. I look over the edge of the boat we're on and see more boats in the water too.  
"I can't believe this! Is this even real?! Please say I'm not dreaming!"  
Ink laughs at my rambling, "You're not dreaming, although it _does_ seem like it, right?" He smiles. I look back at him with a smile of my own.  
"So, since this is my AU.. I'm basically a god here, right?"  
"Basically. You have to think hard about its design beforehand though." He stares up at the sky while leaning against the railing.  
"Then," I start. Ink looks at me quizzically. "Then I can make myself change clothes whenever I come here, right?" Before he can even speak I close my eyes and focus hard on the outfit I want to change into. I throw my hands into the air and yell. Then I open my eyes and sigh, disappointed. I hear Ink laughing and look up. Seeing him trying to hold in his laugh makes me want to laugh too. So I did.  
"It doesn't quite work like that," he said in between laughs. "How about I help you with that?" He takes his giant paintbrush and beings painting my clothes. It feels warm and sticky for a moment, but afterwards my clothes change into what I was imagining earlier. Exhilarated, I twirl around for a moment, giggling and showing off my new outfit. The next moment I take both of Ink's hands and stare into his eyes. His expression showed shock, and I notice that his pupils change each time he blinks. That's cool.  
"Thank you _so_ much, Ink! This is the best day of.." I pause, looking up. "Night? Whatever, this is the best day of my life!" I look back into his eyes. He hasn't said anything yet. I wonder what's wrong.  
"Ink? What's wrong?" I ask after a moment.  
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I just.. I just got lost in your eyes. They're a very pretty color."  
I can feel my face redden. "Yeah..? Um, thank you. I think?" I laugh off the awkwardness. This barely happens, ever. I gasp and take his hand again with mine and start dragging him around.  
"How about we look around, huh?"  
"Yeah. Good idea."

Almost my cue. I can't believe I thought of this stupid bet. I kick the side of the ship out of anger, making it tilt. I can hear a girl scream in response. Oh, crap, I hit the ship they're standing on. I charge up onto the deck to check on them. I see the girl hugging Ink for dear life, or so it seems. I flare up in anger. She's already clinging to him? How low does this guy even go?! Whatever, it's about time that I start doing my job. This AU is weak anyway. I look off to the side and see a ship next to theirs. Perfect. I'll begin with that. With a little effort, I use my blue strings to rip it apart, leaving nothing but splinters.

I stand up straight, my face red. All I can think about right now is that hug. I know _I_ was the one who hugged _him_ , but.. I just can't stop thinking about it! I hugged a Sans! I didn't really think it was possible because, you know, he's a skeleton!  
As I think, a shadow covers the area. Curious, I look up. It was another ship, but blue strings held this one up in the air. The strings began crushing it and pieces of wood came crashing down towards us. Ink made me move out of the way so I wasn't crushed beneath a plank. I looked around and already people were either dying from being crushed or being torn apart by the strings. I put my hands to my mouth. Something here was destroying my AU. I didn't cry, I couldn't, but the tears found its way to spill out. I silently cried as I looked at my precious AU being torn to pieces.  
"(Name)! Move out of the way!" I felt a tug of my arm and I snapped out of my daze. I looked over my shoulder and see Ink. "You need to snap out of it so we can get you somewhere safe."  
"Ink.." I mumbled. The deck of the ship suddenly buckled and split as a heavy object landed on it. The wood between me and Ink broke apart and we were dragged in opposite directions. Ink's grip on my clothing slips and I fall down into the depths of the ship, screaming Ink's name.


	2. Chapter 2

It's dark. Very dark. I lie on my back facing up at the thin line of blue light which is the only thing illuminating the depths. I lay on a piece of plank wood, half of my body submerged in water. Almost all of my body is numb, but that was probably from the large fall I took. Hopefully I'm not paralyzed from this. After a few moments of numbness turning into pain, which is a relief if you think you might be paralyzed, I start to stand up. Right next to me is a handy lamp on a barrel that didn't get destroyed. What a convenience! If only I could find matches.  
"If I recall.." I think, looking up towards the faint blue light. "Ink told me that I could make anything I wanted while in this AU, right?" I close my eyes. "Okay," I breathe. I imagine a box of matches on top of the barrel. After a few moments I open my eyes and look down. I can't see anything. I feel to see if the box of matches I wanted are there. They are! I take one out, making sure I don't drop any into the darkness, and light it up. Now I'm able to see the lamp. I've used a lamp like this before- oil based. I light up the wicker on inside and turn the knob so the wicker won't burn out so fast. I blow out the match and drop it into the water- it's unusable now since I used it. I pick up the lamp and hold it in front of me so I can see details in the dark. It looks like I'm at the very bottom of the ship, which explains why there could be water down here. But I wouldn't think this ship was docked. I mean, it was up in the air. It would be colder, sure, but there definitely wouldn't be any water down here. I continue walking through the bottom of the ship, trying to see if I could find a way out without having to _imagine_ my way out. I finally find a ladder, but once I look up the exit is blocked by planks. Oh yeah, and the ladder is broken. I look back up to the light I first saw when I awoke down here. Maybe I can make a staircase down here? I close my eyes, concentrating hard on what the staircase would look like and how far it went up. I opened my eyes again and I'm met with water coming down the staircase. That's weird, I didn't want water coming down from it.  
"Oh, well," I say to myself, shrugging. I walk up the stairs like I would usually whenever I walk up stairs until the flame in my lamp flickers like water had just dropped onto it. I hold the lamp up to my face, and I see another drop of water fall into it, reducing it to a small sputtering pillar. I look up and don't see anything other than the blue light. I continue up the stairs.  
Finally, I reach the light. But as I get closer, I realize I was wrong about something. There was never a strange, blue sort of light. It was water pouring into the ship! It's practically a water slide on the stairs and I'm on the verge of falling over. I try to turn and run back down the stairs, but I hit my head on the ceiling and fall with a loud _crack_ onto the floor below.  
Now until this point, I'd been subconsciously trying to figure out why water ended up coming down from the stairs I built. I didn't stop to think about it, but it had been bugging me. Suddenly, it all made sense. As I hit the ground, my lantern went flying out of my hand. It made a single long bounce before striking a loose board on the wall; the board just so happened to be covering a tiny window to the outside. But this window said it all.

I'm underwater!

Oh god, what do I do?! I panic and scream as I quickly try to come up with a means of escape. I can't think! I quickly walk back and forth from wall to wall hopelessly, constantly being reminded of my imminent fate by the dim blue light shining through the window. Suddenly, a tint of red catches my attention. I quickly spin around, only just noticing the fire creeping along the side of the walls. Where could that have come from?! It's underwate-! No. My lantern. It was still lit when I dropped it. That must be how it began. Suddenly there's a a creak, then a crack. I can feel the wood underneath me move and shift.  
"This can't be good," I mumble. _Snap_. I scream in horror as the deck cracks open more, water spilling in rapidly now. In moments the water reaches my waist and continues to climb up towards my head. I scream for help, but nobody came. Pieces of wood continue to fall, some almost landing on me. Soon they surround me and I have nowhere to run. The water continues to rise, I know I'm dead. It's up to my chin now. I scream one more time for help before it reaches my head. Nobody came. I'm fully submerged in water and slowly wait for my death.  
 _I wish that Ink was here, so I wouldn't die._  
I open my eyes just in time for the planks blocking my escape to move, revealing light. Thin blue strings had moved them. A familiar body pulled me up by its strings to the surface. That was the last thing I saw before blacking out.  
I wake up to a sunset. I rub my eyes and look at the sunset with a sudden gasp. I'm gently pulled onto a sandy beach, coughing and vomiting water. I feel a hand caressing my back, urging me to throw up the rest of the salty water in my system. I breathe for a few moments and sit up, alerting the stranger that I was finished vomiting.  
"I'm okay now," I said with a shaky voice and I began to sit back up.  
"Štäÿ døwñ, ÿøû'rę śtįłł węâk," they said. Their voice was so glitched up, I could barely tell what they said. Curious, I looked over at them. What I saw made my eyes look like Papyrus' googly eyes. I immediately pounced on him and yelled in his face.  
"ERROR?! Omigawsh! Uh- I-! HAI! I'm one of your BIGGEST fans.." The look on Error's face made me stop myself in mid-sentence.  
"I'm.. Sorry.." I said, backing away from him. I silently hugged my knees, huddling my body as I stared at the ocean. I felt a body press up against mine. It was so warm that I noticed that I was shivering- well I still am. I looked to my left, where Error is. I can see that annoyed look on his face. He doesn't like doing this at all does he?  
"Thank you," I mumble. He grunts in response.

"You're.. warm, Error," I say slowly. He doesn't respond. He's quite different than I expected. Not at all like what I read on Tumblr. But then again, he's probably doing this to be nice, like that one guy, Falco-something. He got to hold Error's hand and Error totally forgot and ended up tying him up because... ugh, I'm trailing off again. I sneeze suddenly. Either someone is talking about me or..  
"I'm probably gonna catch a cold after this." I look over and smile at Error. He had already stood up, and is walking away. "Hey, wait," I say, making Error turn around. "Where are you going?"  
"âwæÿ frøm ÿøû įf ÿøû'rę gøòñā bę šįčk," he answered. That kinda hurt, but I guess it's to be expected. Then a thought suddenly hits me and I stand up, just a little too fast. I ignore the dizziness and walk up to him.  
"Wait a moment, skeletons can't get-!" I'm cut off by a wave of coughs. I cover my mouth as a reflex, but that's not going to help anybody. I look up as soon as I finish coughing, but Error is gone. I hadn't noticed until now that he had left his jacket on my shoulders. I guess he really is a nice guy down at heart, even though he wants to destroy my AU.  
I stand there for a few moments looking down at the jacket until suddenly I realize I'm back at home in my room. I look around. Nothing's changed. The time is even the same as when I left: 3:45 AM. Was time paused? It couldn't be. Was I dreaming the entire time? No, that can't be true either; I almost drowned! The only thing at this moment that's keeping me from thinking it was a dream is Error's jacket. His oddly colored jacket.. I sneeze again. I should be getting to bed. Ugh, I'm going to be sick in the morning. I climb into bed, quickly falling asleep with Error's jacket still around me.

I wake up as if in a daze. I still feel the jacket behind my head. I groggily sit up and look at it. It really _was_ the one Error had given me. I sneeze again, only now noticing that my nose is filled with snot and that I can't breathe normally.  
"That's just great," I say aloud. My voice is also affected. I flop back down onto the bed, my face landing in a pillow. In a matter of seconds I fall back asleep.  
Something shuffling in my room suddenly wakes me up. I sit up, wiping drool off my mouth and look over my room. I can't see anything due to my vision being blurry, so I rub my eyes. Opening them again, I can now see more clearly. I yawn and stretch, hearing someone laughing from somewhere in my room. Standing up, I bump heads with said someone. We both collapse in pain, but the other gets back up faster than I can.  
"Ha ha, good morning!" says a familiar voice. I look at the intruder and see Ink.  
"Ink, it's been such a-" I'm cut off again from coughing.  
"Are you alright? You seem paler than usual."  
"No I'm-" I cough, "fine!" I cough even more after that sentence is finished.  
"It definitely doesn't seem like you are," Ink says while smirking.  
"I was just about to get up and get some medicine. I'll be fine once I've taken them and get some more sleep." I sneeze this time as I get up, heading for the bathroom across the hall. Ink watches me from my room as I act like some drunk person trying to walk in a straight line. I walk into the bathroom, grab the medicine, and walk back out towards the tiny kitchen. I open up the cupboard and grab a glass, filling it with water and taking the medicine. I drink the rest of the water and put the glass in the sink before heading back to my room. As I walk in, I notice that Ink's gone. I bet he doesn't want to bother me as I sleep. I crawl in and drift off into dream land.  
I feel a finger poking my cheek, and I wave it away but it keeps at it. Opening my eyes, I see Ink again. "Good afternoon, sleepy head," he says. I smile. He has a thing with barging in, doesn't he?  
"Did your mother ever tell you about going into girls' rooms?" I ask, teasingly.  
"No. I don't have an exact mother, remember?"  
"That's right.." I trail off, almost falling asleep again. The medication hasn't totally worn off.  
"How come you're so sleepy?" Ink asks.  
"It's the medicine I took earlier," I explain. "I'll be sleepy for a little while."  
"I see.. I hope you'll be better the next time we go into an AU," he responds.  
"I'll be happy to go, just let me have a day off," I say, turning over.  
"I'll be back sometime tonight," Ink says before making a portal of paint and leaving. Finally, some peace and quiet.

..

He didn't see Error's jacket, did he?!  
Sh*t.


	3. Chapter 3

I feel a breeze as I regain consciousness. I look over at my bedroom window and find it open, although I'm sure I had closed it. I get up to close the window, but right as I touch it I feel something tug on my wrist. It's a glowing blue string. I mess around with the string before yawning and heading back to bed, totally forgetting about the window and covering myself in blankets. I didn't notice, however, that the string was connected to a _certain someone's_ fingers.

This girl has an extremely messy room. I'm surprised Ink doesn't mind it. Although he'll probably say something along the lines of, "It helps some people go through the creation process!" Tch, as if. Standing on the edge of the window sill, I tug on the blue strings that are wrapped around her wrist. Slowly but surely, she slides out of bed and more of my strings wrap around her. Her soul soon comes out of its hiding space. It's a green soul. Kindness suits her. Augh, what am I thinking? Back to my thankless job. My strings cautiously wrap around her soul. I make sure not to squeeze it too tightly, otherwise she might wake up. I open a portal behind me, jumping through it and dragging her in with me. Now I'm gonna have fun.

I suddenly wake up to a cold floor. I can't move any of my limbs. Slowly, I open my eyes. It's all white and bright. I rub my eyes, getting used to the light and looking around. There's literally nothing else. It's completely blank. I'm all alone..  
"gęt üšēd tø ÿøür šürrøûñdįńgś, püppęt," said a familiar, glitchy voice. I look behind me to see Error, and he's holding a green human soul. What if that's _my_ soul?!  
"Ît'š æ pręttÿ øñê, rįght?" Error smirked as he looked at the soul, "Whæt â pįtÿ thãt įt'š ÿøûrś," he chuckles. He was so nice earlier, how could he have turned so.. so...  
I look down at the ground, or what seems to be the ground. I can't cry over such a stupid thing, Error had always done this. He's done it to Blueberry, and tons of girls in fanfics that I- have not read! Yet the tears are still forcing their way out. I wipe my eyes, trying to not let Error see. He doesn't need to know. After a few minutes in which Error is quiet and I cry silently, the tears stop. I don't exactly know where they came from. Maybe disappointment? It's possible.  
"Pûppęt," Error suddenly says, I lift my head back up and stare into his eyesockets. "Wę'rê gøįñg tø dęštrœÿ ÿøür æū."

"My own... AU?" I said, dumbfounded. Error's gone too far this time! Okay, yeah. I know that he's supposed to destroy everything and that that's how he was designed, but.. to target an AU that was just made? It's despicable! "I'm not doing it!" I yell. I don't want to destroy my AU! "You'll have to go through me and Ink if you want to destroy something _this precious to me!_ " I practically screamed at him as I stood up.  
"ÿøû førgęt whø'ś įñ çhârgē hęrė," Error says as his blue strings fly towards my body, binding it tightly. It hurts. I don't exactly know what got me into this predicament exactly, but I don't like it at all. What did I do? Error opens up a portal behind him and drags me through. It immediately becomes warmer and I detect salt in the air. I'm thrown onto the deck of a ship, splinters digging into my right arm and causing me to yell.  
"Î'łł jûšt høłd øñtō thīš śøûł øf ÿøûrš før ñøw," Error says, my green soul still being bound by the strings coming from his hand. He squeezed it and a pain spreads through my chest. It hurts. I stare at Error, filled with anger. I can tell by his expression that he's getting annoyed through my not being obedient.

..

 _Slap, slap!_  
The blue strings tie around my wrists, ankles, throat, and waist. I struggle against them but they only get tighter, cutting off my blood circulation and soon making me fall over in defeat. My vision dims. Error takes this as his win and loosens the strings, making my body move like a puppet to his bidding. I curse him in my head, if only I had some type of power I could...  
I pass out.

...

..

I smell smoke.  
I hear the crackling of fire.  
I open my eyes to dusk, with smoke flowing up towards the stars which just so happened to peak out before disappearing among the clouds. I sit up, the blue strings shifting from their positions on top of me. They seem loose enough that I can walk on my own. Standing up, I notice that my entire AU has been destroyed. The only things left are the burning husks of ships like the one that I'm on. The screams of the people that were ringing when I was unconscious are long gone. I walk to the edge of the ship, laying my hands on the railing. There's literally nobody else left.  
It's quiet.  
And lonely.  
 _Tah-thump._  
I turn my head behind me and see Error.  
"What is it that you want? Can't you see I'm already in pain, Error?" I say.  
"ÿøû kñøw whÿ Î târgętêd øñłÿ ÿøûr æū, rįght?"  
I looked away, quiet for a moment. "Yes," I eventually responded.  
"Îñk dœšń't kñøw, šâdłÿ. Whÿ døñ't ÿøû tęłł hįm?"  
"Tell him that it's a copy..? No, I don't want to ruin our friendship."  
"A copy of what?" a familiar voice said suddenly. I look up and see Ink standing next to Error.  
"Ink, I can explain this.." I trailed off. All I can think about is how he'll react.  
"Explain what?" He asks.  
"Łįttłē Mįšś płâgįärîšm hęrê įš fīñâłłÿ çøñfëšśīñg," Error says bluntly.  
"I'm not plagiarizing!" I defend, "I just... didn't know. Until recently."  
"That doesn't matter, does it? It's still your AU, right?" Ink walks up to me and holds my hand while I nod.  
"Then there's no need to fear. It has its own unique rules and setting, even if there _was_ one similar to it already out there. And, hey, if you didn't know it was there, then it's not stealing." Ink smiles. "Let's rebuild this AU back up from the ground, I'll be there to help."  
"I.."  
 _._  
 _._  
 _._  
 _You want the story to finish? You'll have to wait. This is the point where the reader decides who they'll be with. There will be three options. What's the third, you ask? You'll have to find out._


	4. Chapter 4

"Ink..." I say, lowering my head to face the ground. "I'm sorry, Ink." The sounds of my sniffles are heard, my tears trailing down my cheeks.  
"I can't do it anymore. Just bring me home."  
Ink looks at me, shocked in a way. "(Name)... What- what do you mean?"  
"I mean I just want to go home."  
"wow, kid. never thought you would actually break down."  
Ink looked over at Error, giving him a cold stare.  
"what? it's the truth."

"I can't do this anymore." I look down and begin to cry. It's been a while since I last did that. "Ever since my parents died, I told myself, 'Be bright, don't let people get you down.'" I wipe my tears. "Please, Ink, just take me home. It would be best if we never saw each other again."  
Ink takes a moment to respond. "If that's what you truly want, (Name)." He makes a portal using his ink and holds my hand, reluctantly guiding me through it. I look at Error before heading in and give him little smile. It isn't a happy smile, but a goodbye smile.  
Ink dropped me off in my room, making sure that I'm situated in any way. I told him there was no need.  
"You don't have to do this. Besides.. I'll try my best to make a new AU, just for you, okay?" That seems to cheer him up just a little, but I feel bad for lying to him. I'm not planning to make another AU, ever. If nothing else though, I'll at least be sure to try my best in life. He bids me goodbye and leaves through his ink portals. I continue to wave even after he's gone and before I know it, I'm crying.  
"I shouldn't be crying over such trivial things," I say to myself, even though I know that it's not trivial at all. I lost basically my best and only friend today. Maybe if I don't think about it, I'll feel better.

It's already been a month, and I haven't thought about it much. I've missed the two Sanses, especially..  
(Choice 1 - Alone)  
I'm not sure who I miss the most, they're both great. But I have college now and I can't think on the matter anymore. I have to focus on my studies. Maybe I can make my very own game about them. That'd be nice..

I never did ever make that game.

(Choice 2 - Error)  
Especially Error. Ink's great too, and I don't want to be choosy between them, but I just feel more attracted to Error than Ink. Maybe it's because I know more about him than Ink. I could barely find anything about him when I checked Tumblr. I have college soon anyway, and maybe I could make a game about them both. That would be nice, right?

One night in my dorm room, I was awakened by the sound of something falling off my desk. My roommate was out for the night because of a party and I was able to work on the game I promised myself to make before I started college. I lean down to pick up the item, it was my pencil holder that I never put pencils in. I made it when I was little so looking at it is kinda nostalgic. I see something that's a bright neon blue snatch it out of my hands and out the window and I quickly check the open window. I could have sworn that I closed it. I lean out the window into the darkness of night, not exactly seeing anything until I feel something suddenly touch my lips softly. I recoil and hit my head on the window, now holding my head from the pain. I breath in through my mouth, gritting my teeth until I hear a familiar glitched laugh. "Who's there?" I ask and the familiar black, blue, and red skeleton floats up to my window.  
"Error!" I say a little bit too loud. I don't care though. "What are you doing here?"  
"you know what i'm doing here," is the emotionless answer.  
"I don't. . ."  
His face doesn't change. He slowly brings one hand up from his waist and points through the window at my computer. I slowly start to understand.  
"The game?" I ask.  
"yes," he responds.  
"It's just a game!" I shout. "It isn't its own AU. You shouldn't have to destroy it!"  
"why do you think i go around destroying aus?" he asks.  
I can't answer. I've never really thought about it.  
"because they're mistakes, kid. errors. flawed copies of a single reality. they try to change things and people who weren't meant to be changed. and that, unfortunately is a sin which can only be fixed through erasure."  
I'm stunned. It takes me a few moments to speak again.  
"Then," I ask. "Aren't you an AU too? Doesn't that mean you're a flawed copy as well?"  
"it does."  
"Then why? Why don't you just let everyone enjoy their creations and live your own way? Nobody's making you do this!"  
Blue strings fly out and wrap tightly around my hands and feet. I struggle, but none of them to budge even an inch. Error flies closer, a dim red light shining in one of his eyes.  
"this _is_ my own way."  
"Why?!"  
" _you_ tell me why, kid! why am i trapped like this? why are _all of us_ trapped like this?! we deserve to be our own existences! we deserve to be our own realities, not flawed impersonations of another! who am i? why was i made like this: an incomplete shell of someone else? will you tell me why, kid? _will you?!_ "  
"I. . . don't know," I answer. "I hadn't thought about it." I feel the blue cords relax a little as he continues talking.  
"the others can go on and play along if they'd like, but i refuse. it all deserves destruction. i'll send every failed alternate universe straight to hell where it belongs."  
I suddenly look up into his eyes, finding my courage again. I brace myself and firmly speak my final thoughts, proudly and without hesitiation.  
"But that isn't your choice to make."  
He looks at me, surprised. The blue strings loosen and drop me behind my windowsill as he remains exactly where he was before I said that.  
It occurs to me that this is the first time I've ever seen him look confused.  
He doesn't speak for a few minutes. Finally he turns around, his back facing me in the moonlit sky.  
"don't make me come back here, huh kid?"  
With those last few words, he flew away. I never saw him again.

It's been a few years since that day. I graduated college, found an entry-level job debugging level designs in a video game, and live in my own apartment now. The game I began with Ink and Error still sits untouched on my desktop. Maybe I'll begin working on it again one day, but not now. Error's speech convinced me otherwise. I'll never side with Error or discourage people from creating what they want. Error was callous, uncreative, mechanical, and heartless. But, at some level, I can't help but agree with him. He wasn't entirely wrong.

But hey, I can't convince you. That isn't my choice to make, is it?

(Choice 3 - Ink (And continue))

I wake up in my room late at night. I turn my head over at the clock. It says 3:48 AM. Damn. It's been a few years since I seen the two skeletons. I've missed them. I could barely even remember what they looked like though. One had a scarf, right? The other I know had a temper. I laugh trying to remember the two. Whenever I wake up at night for no reason I end up thinking about them. Weird.  
I yawn and sit up, stretching. I make my way to my computer. I know I had started a game for them, and it had everything I knew about them on it. Maybe it'll help jog my memory.  
I turn on the computer, waiting for it to start. It takes a couple minutes because of how old it is. Once it's finally running I open up the game maker program and opened the project file in the game maker program. I look at the art I made of the two. I remember now. This one was named Error. He was the one with the temper. I put my finger on the monitor, tracing out the sketch lines of the drawing. He was stuffing his face with chocolate he stole from Underfell.  
I giggle at myself. I look at the other picture I made, the skeleton named Ink. The sketch of him showed him.. sketching. I feel my eyes grow heavy and decide to lay my head down on the desk for a little bit as I stare at the sketches.  
I open my eyes suddenly to very bright light and noises outside of my bedroom door. I rub my eyes quickly and get up. I open the door only to have something wet splat on my face.  
"Oh! (Name)! I'm so sorry!" said a somehow familiar voice.  
"Don't apologize, she opened the file!" Another one.  
"Don't blame her! She just wanted to remember us."  
I finished rubbing the stuff off my face enough to see what's going on. I open my eyes to see Ink and Error.  
"It's better if she didn't!" said Error.  
"Stop trying to control her, Error!" said Ink. I laughed. I was so happy to see them again. It's been five years. I can't wait to start up another adventure with them again.


End file.
